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This publication describes the usage of languages in the multilingual society of Ethiopia. It is based on empirical studies conducted in nine states of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in 1997 and 1998. A research team of German and Ethiopian scholars surveyed about 3,500 high school students from 35 Ethiopian towns regarding their language behaviour. The data on the distribution of mother tongues and second languages are published here for the first time and are representative for a typical Ethiopian town. These data outline the development of multilingualism over three generations (students/parents/grandparents) and elucidate factors which promote the spread of multilingualism. The frame for the representation and explanation of the data is an adapted model of the social network theory.

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9783631502594

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The Authors: Ronny Meyer, born 1970, studied African linguistics and sociology at Leipzig University. Since 1997 he has been a member of a research team dealing with Ethiopian languages at Mainz University. Renate Richter, born 1941, studied at the Oriental Faculty of Leningrad University, received her Ph.D. in 1969 (Amharic causative stems) and published her postdoctoral dissertation in 1981 (Tendencies of language development in Ethiopia) at Leipzig University. She worked as an assistant professor for Amharic at Leipzig University from 1982 to 1993 and as a research fellow at Mainz University from 1993 to 1999.

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